data released today, one of the encouraging signs is the number of people studying engineering and computer science has actually gone up quite radically. as an early sign that the steps that have been taken frankly overreaching by governments of all parties to try to raise the status of engineering and encouraging engineering are beginning to have an effect. >> this government has just introduced two new tax base which will cause people who own the oh, no, between 25 and 35,000 pounds per family. why is he choosing to put a block on the aspirations of young people who want to build their own home? >> we are encouraging people to build a own home and buy their own homes, not least by the reform of the planning system that has seen the planning guidance come from 1000 pages to 50 pages. that's why we are also encouraging the right to buy. and if honorable members opposite want to help, they might want to talk to the labour of 40s that are continually

knocking people from buying the council or having association homes. >> thank you, mr. speaker. will my right honorable friend wish to congratulate the company in my constituency, but taking advantage of the capital of laos is announced and the autumn statement of purchase to 1.3 million pounds, that will create six new jobs under -- i certain to my honorable friend in welcoming that investment it is experience in campaign history logic did have an effect in bringing forward these proposals on capital allowances. it's absolutely clear a lot of businesses do have money locked up in a balance sheets that we want to see invested, and i believe that these capital allowances are good with encouraging businesses to bring forth that sort of investment.

>> david is severely disabled and has a medical need for an extra room in his home. why is the government he leads taking 676 pounds a year away from him in order to pay for a tax cut for the richest? >> what i would say to the honorable gentleman if we put in place a 30 million-pound discretionary fund to help in particular cases like the one that he raises. but we do have an overall situation where the housing benefit budget is now 23 billion pounds. that is only 10 billion pounds less than the entire defense budget. it's not good enough for members opposite to oppose welfare cut after will forgot, to propose welfare spend after welfare spend, while they realize that we're dealing with the mess they left. >> does the prime minister agree with the leader of the opposition talked about the economy, he sounds just like an extraordinary undertaker looking forward to a hard one to? does he not accept that you

cannot get out of a debt crisis by borrowing more money? >> my honorable friend makes a very good point. the fact is the economy that we inherited was completely unbalanced. it was based on housing but it was based on finance. it was based on government spending and those based on immigration. those were for incredibly unstable pillars for sustained economic growth. what we that it is a major recovery operation. that operation is still underway but you can see in the new jobs created in the private sector businesses that are expanding them into new people signing up the businesses we are making progress. >> george galloway. [shouting] >> following yesterday's announcement, will the prime minister -- [inaudible] the key differences between the and chopping, crosscutting

jihadists, fighting a dictatorship and valley that we are announced to kill, and the equally bloodthirsty jihadists that we're giving money, material, political and diplomatic support to in syria, has the prime minister read frankenstein, and did he read it to the end? >> well, something's come and go but there's one thing that is a certain. whatever there is a brutal arab dictator in the world he will have the support of the honorable gentleman. [shouting] >> order, order. last but not least, mr. whitaker. >> thank you, mr. speaker. we can definitely -- we can definitely do without them. will my right on of a friend, the prime minister, told the house whether he will be taking seriously the liberal democrats ministers who are queuing up

today to resign their posts after batting against the government in last nights vote for? >> what i would say to my honorable friend clearly there's a profound disagreement about this issue but i would say to everyone in the house of commons who voted for an oversize house of commons and unequal constituency boundaries that are both costly and unfair, they will have to justify that to their constituents. [shouting] >> order. >> here on c-span2 we will leave the british house of commons now as they move on to other legislative business. you have been watching prime minister's questions time aired live wednesdays at 7 a.m. eastern while parliament is in session. you can see this weeks question time and again sunday night at nine eastern and pacific on c-span. for more information go to c-span.org, click on c-span series for prime minister's question, plus links to international news media and legislatures around the world.

you can watch recen recently do including programs dealing with other international issues. >> all of us worked hard for causes way before we got to the white house. the white house just was an enormous push up. i think the ladies would agree that the day before you are married to the president-elect, nobody gives a darn what you say. and the day after he is the president-elect, people think you're brilliant and your cause is very good. [laughter] that helps. >> spent a new original series, first ladies, influencing image, their public and private lives, interests and their influence on the president, over 44 administration. season one begins presidents' day february 18 at 9 p.m. eastern and pacific on c-span, c-span radio and c-span.org.

>> today, a look at automobile fuel efficiency. >> derksen is going to pass a bill. it will be a good bill on civil rights. can do all get him to agree to come off coach with you and go on go or is he just going to try to keep from passing anything? >> i think that we've got to get, somebody will have to use it with.

>> lbj strategize is saturday at 6 p.m. eastern on c-span radio. >> you are watching c-span2 with politics and public affairs. weekdays feature live coverage of the u.s. senate. on nightwatch key public policy defense. every weekend the latest nonfiction authors and books on booktv. you can see past programs and get our schedules at our website. you can join in the conversation on social media sites. >> now, wisconsin governor scott walker delivers his state of the state address from the statehouse in madison. in his remarks, the governor said he would quote -- efforts to meet his 2010 campaign promise to create 250,000 private sector jobs. this is 30 minutes.

[cheers and applause] >> at this time it is my privilege to introduce our friend, the governor of the state of wisconsin, scott walker. [cheers and applause] thank you. thank you. thank you.

speaker vos, speaker pro tem kramer, president ellis, majority leader fitzgerald, minority leader larson, minority leader barca, members of the wisconsin supreme court, constitutional officers, tribal leaders, members of the cabinet, distinguished guests, members of the legislature, most importantly, fellow citizens of the great state of wisconsin, it is an honor to appear before you tonight. before we get started, i would like to introduce the first lady of wisconsin, my wife, tonette. [applause]

also in the gallery are our sons, matt and alex. [applause] they change quick. matt came over from college after his last class and alex came over from high school. next to them are blue and pat walker. [applause]

and right next to them is my brother david, my sister-in-law, maria, the two most beautiful girls in the world here tonight, my nieces. [applause] now, if i introduce any more walkers, my boys are going to be upset with missing the kickoff -- not kick off. the first ball in the wisconsin game. i'm not going to introduce him or of my family but i do want to introduce the adjutant general, don dunbar, and thank them on behalf of the 10,000 strong men and women of the wisconsin national guard. idq you, and thank you to each of them as well. [applause]

ladies and gentlemen, we are moving wisconsin forward with bold vision and bright hope for the future. two years ago, when i first stood here as your new governor, wisconsin was facing a $3.6 billion budget deficit, property taxes had gone up 27% over the previous decade, increasing every year, and the unemployment rate was 7.8%. today, wisconsin has a $342 million budget surplus, property taxes on a median valued home went down in each of the last two years, and the unemployment rate, well, it's down to 6.7%. [applause] we're turning things around. we're heading in the right direction. we're moving wisconsin forward. and unlike other states, we avoided significant tax increases, massive layoffs and cuts in programs, like medicaid. instead, we put in place long-term structural reforms

that helped us balance state and local government budgets for years to come. what we did was think more about the next generation than we did about the next election, and it worked. for the first time in our state's history, we set money aside in two consecutive years for the rainy day fund. our bond rating is solid and our pension system is the only one in the country that is fully funded. [applause] we made tough, but prudent, decisions to get our fiscal house in order. today, unlike the federal government and many of our neighboring states, we have a surplus, which will allow us to invest in our priorities. with the introduction of my proposed budget next month, i will lay out a clear plan for reducing the burden on hard-working families by lowering income taxes on the middle class.

[applause] we want to continue to put more money in the hands of the hard-working taxpayers and small business owners in our state. unlike the message coming out of washington, i believe that putting more money in the hands of the people, instead of the government, is good for the economy. helping the people of wisconsin create more jobs is my number one priority. during the three years before i took office, our state lost nearly 150,000 jobs. at the low point, unemployment topped 9%. soon after taking office, i called the legislature into a special session on jobs and we enacted some of the most aggressive plans in the country. today, the unemployment rate has

dropped to 6.7%. new business ventures are up nearly 11%. and we changed the opinion of our employers, for the better. in 2010, a mere 10% of the employers surveyed said that our state was headed in the right direction. in 2012, 93% said wisconsin was heading in the right direction. [applause] over the past two years, wisconsin moved up 21 spots on chief executive magazine's ranking of the best and worst states for business. cnbc moved us up to number 17 and site selection magazine ranked our state as high as 13. employers feel good about our state. during the past year, kohl's department stores worked with us and announced the creation of 3,000 new jobs. plexus in neenah is adding 350 jobs and alliance laundry

systems in ripon is adding another 270 jobs. while big announcements like that are great, we are just as excited about companies like nueske's meat products in wittenberg adding 21 jobs, poclain hydraulics in sturtevant adding 50 jobs, and premium waters in chippewa falls adding 21 jobs. small business owners, in particular, want certainty and we have dramatically improved the business climate in our state. we're turning things around. we're heading in the right direction. we're moving wisconsin forward. [applause] still, there is much more work to be done in the coming year. our top priority is helping the people of our state create more jobs. as you know, we have an ambitious goal, 250,000 jobs by 2015. after all that we've gone through in wisconsin over the

past few years, some have suggested that this goal is too difficult to reach. with the protests and recalls combined with the slow recovery at the national level, the fiscal cliff, and ongoing worries about health care mandates coming out of washington, they say there are plenty of reasons why it has been hard to create jobs. but in wisconsin, we don't make excuses, we get results. [applause] with this in mind, we are going to double down and be even more aggressive with our efforts to improve the jobs climate in this state. that's what i heard during my listening sessions held around wisconsin. people want us focused on things that will improve the economy and our way of life. that's why i laid out five very clear priorities for the next two years, create jobs, develop the workforce, transform

education, reform government, and invest in our infrastructure. and it's also why i've asked the members of the legislature to stay focused on these same priorities, and not get distracted on other issues. one of the best ways we can show the people of wisconsin that their state government is focused on jobs is to pass a bill that streamlines the process for safe and environmentally sound mining. [applause] start with the legislation that was approved in the joint finance committee last session, include some reasonable modifications, and send me a bill to sign into law early this year. [applause]

[cheers and applause] [applause] a mine would be a lifeline to people in northwestern

wisconsin, where the unemployment rate in iron county is the second highest in the state at nearly 12%. but the benefits will be felt all across wisconsin. we have the potential for a billion and a half dollar investment here in our state that could lead to as many as 3,000 construction-related jobs and 2,800 long-term jobs. it's no wonder that i've heard from people in places like clinton and wausau, green bay and prairie du chien, superior and chippewa falls, all who want us to pass this bill. we need to get started on this project as soon as possible. tonight, please join me in welcoming a number of people who really want to get to work. joining me are josh dennis, larry youngs, cindy lafortune, karl krall, richard galarno, curt lusua, adam kaseno, steve anderson, harold wickman, and ryan haffenbredl. these operating engineers are members of local 139, who are looking for work. also joining us tonight are

carpenters and millwrights from northern wisconsin locals of the united brotherhood of carpenters, welcome dana tonnelli, bob polencheck, charlie steed, al ida, dan gillespie, pete langreck, david grottke, and jim berrens. [applause] [applause] together, these folks are holding up the flag of the great state of wisconsin.

on the right side of the seal is the image of a miner. in the upper right corner are the tools of a miner. and on the top of the seal is a badger, which comes from the nickname given to early settlers who were miners. if any state can move forward with a way to streamline the process for safe and environmentally sound mining, shouldn't it be the badger state? [applause]

thanks for coming out. from the mining bill to mining for jobs, earlier this year, i spoke with kerry frank, ceo of comply365. her business was located in illinois, but she was looking for a new headquarters, where they could expand and grow. kerry told me she liked how we are running things here in wisconsin and it was one of the big factors in her choice to move her company to beloit. even more exciting, since moving here in september, kerry has hired seven more employees. kerry, thanks for being here tonight, and thank you for being a partner in job growth. [applause] now, while recruiting employers from illinois is almost as exciting as beating the bears, most new jobs are going to come from new businesses created here

or from small businesses growing in our state. we need to help them tap into the capital they need to make investments that will lead to more jobs. during the coming year, i look forward to working with lawmakers in both parties on ways to improve the amount of investment capital available to help start-ups and other small businesses grow new jobs in our state. [applause] in addition to access to capital, we want to help small businesses grow by lowering the cost of doing business in our state. in particular, we want to streamline the process, so what we do enforce is about common sense and not about bureaucratic red tape. [applause] you may remember, last year, i called for state agencies to work with the reformed small business regulatory review board

to identify unnecessary, obsolete, and burdensome regulations. in a survey, we asked employers what we can do to help them create jobs in the upcoming year and the most common answer was decrease the amount of state regulations. and they gave us plenty of feedback on rules to review. tonight, i am pleased to release this report, which identifies over 300 rule modifications in 218 administrative code chapters. making these changes will make it easier to do business in the state, while maintaining the safety and health of our citizens. speaker vos has also made this a priority and my administration looks forward to working with him and other members of the legislature to improve our state's regulatory climate. while our number one priority is helping people create jobs, our next priority is filling those jobs with qualified workers. one of the strengths of doing business in wisconsin is the work ethic of our people.

moving forward, we need enough skilled workers ready to fill jobs open today, as well as those that will be open tomorrow and in the years to come. survey after survey shows a tremendous need for skilled workers in key clusters, like manufacturing, health care, information technology, even in accounting and finance. my frequent visits to employers across the state affirm these reports. our state needs a way to accurately measure employment on a real-time basis. we need a better way to quickly measure trends and identify workforce needs by region, so we are working with members of the legislature to enact a system to help us connect workers to jobs in areas of great need from current and future employers. [applause] during the past year, we partnered with the wisconsin covenant foundation to provide grants to technical colleges and

employers in various regions to improve workforce development. the next step will come in the state budget, as we align new resources with our critical needs in the workplace. just a few days ago, we graduated the first class under the wisconsin workforce partnership program. diane stepp joined the program because she was unemployed, after being laid off, and was looking for a new career. diane has already been hired by amerequip corporation in new holstein as a cnc operator, and she started work yesterday. diane is here with us tonight. [applause] diane, congratulations to you and your fellow classmates. we also worked with the university of wisconsin system on a new flexible degree program called uw flexoption to help

adult learners earn degrees in targeted fields. nearly a quarter of all adults in this state have some college credit without a degree. for many, time and money are the barriers to finishing that degree. i can relate. during my senior year at marquette university, i was offered a full-time job at the american red cross. i thought i would squeeze in a course here or there and finish things off in a year or two, but then tonette and i got married. then we had matt. and then came alex. next thing you know, you're putting all your extra time and money into your kids. the uw flexoption will provide a less time-consuming, less costly way to finish off a degree. it will help prepare more people to fill the critical needs we have in the workforce. i want to thank uw system president kevin reilly and uw-colleges and uw-extension chancellor ray cross for leading the charge on this exciting idea.

[applause] part of the long-term strategy to develop our workforce is to continue to transform education in our state. the reforms we enacted over the past two years saved school districts hundreds of millions of dollars and allowed each district to hire based on merit and pay based on performance. ..

>> from around wisconsin; teachers, parents, school board members, taxpayers, business leaders and others. to talk about school and school district accountability. after a lengthy process, the first record card evaluating each school in the state was released at the start of the school year. as many of you know, tonette and i still have a son in high school. like many parents, we looked at the score for alex's school. in fact, our district actually put the scores for all of their schools right on the front of their newsletter. that tells me we were able to develop a transparent and objective system for measuring performance in education. in our budget we will lay out plans to provide a financial incentive for high performing and rapidly-improving schools. we want to reward -- we want to reward and replicate success all across the state. [applause]

at the same time, we will outline a plan to help failing schools fundamentally change their structure and dramatically improve their results. our goal is to help each school excel so every child in the state, every child has access to a great education. now, as a parent, that's really a moral imperative. and as your governor, it's also an economic imperative. if we want to help employers grow here in wisconsin, we must show them there is a steady supply of graduates with the skills needed to fill the jobs not only of today, but of to have been. [applause] before but of tomorrow. prison -- >> we worked hard over the past year to improve education, particularly in reading. funds in my last budget provided reading screeners to assess kids as they come into kindergarten.

now, this is tremendously important as research shows kids learn to read through third grade and then read to learn for the rest of their lives. we also put in place a series of other important reforms to improve our early childhood and elementary school reading skills. one of the other great ways to help improve skills is by increasing the number of people who read to our kids. last year i challenged all of us to mentor a child as a realizing buddy. now, i know we all cherished those times when we could read to our young children. i partnered with a school in mill wu key to read with a third -- milwaukee to read with a third grader. stacy and her family are here tonight. stacy continues to do a good job in school. i've paired up with another third grader, angelo. angelo and his family are here tonight as well. stacy and angelo -- [applause]

again this year i challenge each of you to join with me and find some time to mentor a student in reading. now, every child should have access to a great education. we continue to expand the number of choices for families in wisconsin and be it at a traditional, a charter, a voucher, a virtual or a home school environment, moving forward we want to continue to dramatically improve existing schools and give parents the opportunity to choose legitimate alternatives to failing schools. [applause] in addition to transforming education, we must continue to reform government. take a waste, fraud and abuse

commission, for example. so far they've identified nearly $456 million worth of savings. [applause] our reforms allow state government to focus on efficiency so taxpayers get great service without needless spending and waste. our reforms also give schools and local governments flexibility to make management choices to improve their communities while saving money. for example be, our technical schools are saving millions of dollars by making simple, common sense changes to instructor schedules and overtime policies. and they're saving money with a program that allows nonviolent jail inmates to do maintenance work like mowing grass and shoveling snow. and much of the work being done is about finding creative solutions to problems faced by the state. several years ago the previous

governor closed welcome centers. as a candidate, i highlighted the importance of the tourism industry and pledged to reopen these centers. tonight i'm happy to report that there are now eight travel wisconsin centers staffed to welcome visitor to the many exciting attractions all across our great state. [applause] the department of tourism work with the the department of transportation and local chambers and visitor' bureaus to form a tremendous partnership that protects state taxpayers in this effort. with me tonight are a number of our dynamic travel wisconsin greeters who provide a warm welcome to all of our visitor. visitor.

[applause] now, this is just part of the team out there, but you can see it's no wonder tourism has grown to a $16 billion industry supporting 1 in 13 jobs in our state. [applause] [laughter] see, they're even enthusiastic up here. i love it. [applause] now, tourism is one of our many industries that benefit from a strong infrastructure system. we need to continue to invest in

it to keep people working -- >> about five minutes left in this address. you can see it in its entirety at c-span.org. live now to the w hotel here in washington where senators chuck schumer and john mccain will discuss some of the big policy issues being debated in congress including bipartisan immigration legislation unveiled this week. it's part of politico's playbook breakfast series moderated by white house correspondent mike allen. of it's just getting underway. >> we have two of the ring leaders here this morning, senator mccain and senator schumer who helped pull off something that in washington people didn't think was possible, which was a bipart sap agreement. so they'll take us inside that, and we're going to look ahead to the coming days. before we chat with the senators, we're going to welcome politico's manu ragu who helped break this story and then after that we'll have senator mccain. before that i'd like to thank bank of america for their

partnership for making these conversations possible, including that incredible brunch at the inauguration where people had a great time. some people had too great a time. we had great conversation. the playbook series is a forum that makes it possible for us to talk in depth about the issues that matter most in washington, so thank you, john, and your bank of america colleagues. out there in twitter land, hash tag playbookbreakfast, and if i do it right, the questions will pop up right here. i've got my first tweet that said have fun, mikey, so we'll try to do that. [laughter] and the betweens will pop up -- and the tweets will pop up as we come. and so now i'd like to welcome politico's starr, manu ragu. [applause] thank you for coming in. appreciate it very much. so was the gang of eight a secret? was there detective work

involved in covering it? >> yeah. [laughter] in terms of they didn't really want to let on how much work, how much progress being made behind the scenes. it's, you know, in whenever word starts leaking out of what is happening in the talks, inevitably those talks blow up. so as they were negotiating, this was happening at the time of the fiscal cliff negotiations. much of the media focus was happening, was on the fiscal cliff. but throughout that period the staff was meeting, the senators were meeting, and thaw really only -- they really only had the first meeting after the holidays was last wednesday when they were close to finalizing that agreement. and it wasn't until over the weekend that they actually did finalize it and announced it on monday, so things moved rather rapidly, and shows that the folks in the room actually wanted to come to a deal. >> okay. so as we pregame here, we're setting the scene for the conversation to come. tell me something about the

immigration bill that senator mccain and senator schumer won't. [laughter] a little truth bomb to start the morning. >> well, i don't think they'll really get into much of the details in terms of the hurdles that remain from taking this legislative tax, this five-page document into a very detailed legislative proposal. i mean, there are going to be a number of, you know, this bill could be several hundred pages long, and we're talking about a very sweeping change not just to the legal immigration system, but as well how they deal with, of course, the 11 million illegal immigrants. how they actually do that and the hurdles remain, it'll be interesting to see how much they detail that. >> and you pointed out in one of your stories, this is the biggest debate on this emotional issue since -- >> since '07. and we remember what happened then, that this blew up in the senate after a big push by the bush administration and a bipartisan coalition to try to get this through.

it suffered opposition from both sides, particularly the right, and, of course, the charges over this was it was creating amnesty. but we've seen some of those voices muted in at least the initial days. we'll see what happens when the legislative process begins in earnest. >> now, this gang of eight, four democrats, four republicans that put together this framework of immigration bilker immigration principles, how did we find out that the gapping exists -- gang exists? >> one of our reporters was the first one to write about this. talking to senators about what is actually going on in immigration, because the president was certainly laying the groundwork for a big push in the beginning part of the new congress. and as we know, i mean, nothing could get done unless there's bipartisan support, unless there an actual legislative push in earnest. and it turned out there was interest. it really all happened right after the election. lindsay graham made a phone call to chuck schumer and said, look, i want to start talking about immigration, john mccain wants

to start talking about immigration. >> one of the reasons you're a great reporter is because people talk to you, and a number of you have covered capitol hill and know that it's amazing because you can walk up to anyone, and that doesn't mean they'll talk to you, but you can ask a question of anyone just like at the white house. when i was, when i moved from the white house to the hill, i was like standing back because i was, like, trained not to approach people. i'm like, oh, go ahead, you can talk to people. so i've watched you in action up there. you physically grab the senators. tell me your secret in getting these senators to talk to you. [laughter] >> well, you know, i don't actually grab -- >> yes, you do, i've seen it. [laughter] >> i sort of hide behind bushes and pop out. no, it's, you try to develop a relationship over the years in talking to them and grabbing them in certain locations where

they're more predisposed to chat. when they're running quickly to a vote, for instance, you may not be able to get the best interview, but if they're walking back to their offices, you'll have more time to chat and get to know them. i think over the years i develop a level of trust that you, you know, they can trust that what you report will be accurate and representative of what they're actually saying. so that level of trust as well as, you know, being able to understand people's patterns, where they're going to be at certain times, where the good times to actually interview people are, i think that all comes with time and being up there. >> so what is the buzz right now? how's the mind share divided between immigration, guns and the cliff, right? those are the big buckets. what's top there? how are reporters, how are senators, how are aides dividing their attention? >> i think it's right now the fiscal talks are sort of taking backseat at least right now because immigration just starting to drive the debate. guns is going to happen, but

happen probably a little, you know, i guess, you know, that'll happen the first part of the year. but i think people expect that issue to sort of be resolved in the early part of this congress, at least on the senate side. and then immigration, the focus will turn to that in march when these guys actually unveil their legislative proposal, and then as it goes through the committee process. but that's going to happen right at the same time as they're going to have to deal with the continuing resolution to keep the government operating past march 27th. i mean, if they want to keep the government operateing, they're going to have to deal with those fiscal issues once again. this week, of course, it's immigration, but there's not a whole lot for senators to weigh in on because there is no legislative text yet. i think we'll see that debate really, really consume congress in march, april, may when this bill starts moving out of committee and onto the floor. >> all right. and as we say good-bye here, what are you going to be doing

today? >> i have -- i'll still be trying to get as much information about what's happening also in these talks as well as what the senators are, how they view the latest immigration proposal as well as several other leads that i hope to turn into stories next week. >> and we write one story, five stories, ten stories? what's your today like? [laughter] >> well, hopefully not ten stories. today, you know, i think the initial reaction out of the, those stories, initial stories out of this group of either i'm starting to move off the news cycle, and we're going to start getting to either what's happening behind the scenes if those stories actually come and on to some of the other debates that are happening. of course, the gun hearing, excuse me, in the judiciary hearing is going to be very important as well. >> all right. we're going to have you jump in as the conversation goes on.

thank you for previewing with us and thank you for the fantastic coverage. >> appreciate it. [applause] >> and now without further delay, we'd like to welcome senator mccain and senator schumer. [applause] thank you, senates. [applause] senator schumer didn't trust us to have sweet and low this time, so you brought your own. >> made in brooklyn, 1200 employees. eat sweet and low, it's good for you. [laughter] >> senator schumer, congratulations on the sandy aid package. >> thank you. >> the amount of money many these times of austerities, it's one of your biggest accomplishments, and it took a long time. >> thank you. yes, took a long time. there are so many people in new york waiting for that aid. i was in island park monday morning, a little community. i was without -- [inaudible] because that's his home community.

he came out. 60% of the stores on main street are still not open o, and no one can repair or rebuild until they knew this money was there because the way fema works, you're reimbursed, and no bank will lend money unless they know the money's there. now they know, and people will begin to get back on with their lives. >> senator mccain, later this week you're off to germany to meet with world leaders there -- >> yes. the vice president's going also this week. it's an annual conference in munich that is attended by world leaders from all over the world. i remember a couple of years ago vladimir putin came and insulted the united states and every other nation in the west. it was interesting diatribe. [laughter] >> what's your vibe with the vice president? >> pardon me? >> what's your vibe with the vice president? >> i don't think he was as -- it was his happiest day after the "60 minutes" piece.

[laughter] but i -- >> why is that? >> i wouldn't understand that. [laughter] i think he's one of the most likable and congenial men i've ever known in the united states senate. i think chuck would degree. >> i do, i do. great guy. >> so before you came out, we were saying the gang of eight accomplished something rare, which was four democrats, four republicans coming together on something. you all have served together for 13 years since senator schumer came to the other body in 1999, i believe it was. and the gang of eight started to come together the friday after the election, senator lindsey graham gave you a call. on saturday morning, you saw him on your call sheet, you called him, and you said what? >> well, i said, hi, lindsay, and he said -- lindsey is one of the most effervesce sent, as john knows, he said the band is back. let's do immigration. and that was wonderful. and then the next moment he said, and i've talked to john

mccain, and he wants to get back involved, and my heart when pitter patter -- [laughter] because that meant, that meant we could actually, that meant we could get something done, and that sunday we were each on different sunday morning talk shows -- >> a rare occasion for both of us. [laughter] >> and we both said we were going to do it, and here we are. we're not there yet, but at least we've made some good progress. >> and, senator, you've gone back and forth on comprehensive immigration. you were very fresh shept on it, what made you decide to join the band? >> actually, i've always been for it, but i have always been concerned about border security, and i think with good reason. if you talk to the experts, still a majority of drugs that are smuggled into the united states come from the arizona/mexico border. there's huge violence as we know in mexico which has gone up. we have people on mountaintops in arizona guiding the drug dealers. they're these coyotes that bring

people across and then mistreat them in the most terrible fashion. horrible things happen to people that are brought across. and we need a secure border. and we're going to go to the border again, but we have made significant improvements, and there have also been technology advancements in places like iraq and afghanistan where we can surveil the borders. my friends on the arizona/mexico border in the summertime, it gets as hot as 130 degrees, and that's hard on people. so we've got to really do the technology side of this thing which, by the way, the israelis have been able to do, and i'm confident that we can make that progress to assure our citizens that their lives are secure. we are in a secure building. my friends, people in southern arizona have drug people going across their property. they deserve security. but we can achieve that. we can achieve that, and we're

on the road to doing that. >> senator, i said you think about six of the members are going to go with you. what can you see when you go to the border? what can you do? >> first of all, they can see the vastness of the border. the second thing they can see is the improvements that have been made. third, they can see the things that still maybe need to be done. fourth, talk to the men and women on the ground who are in our border patrol, the ones who are out there every day literally risking their lives sometimes. there's nothing like having eyeballs, i think chuck and i have found, on the issue to really get a good understanding of it. >> now, yesterday was the sixth meeting of the gang, i guess you guys talk on your cell phone -- >> yes, but we hate the word "gang." >> group. group. [laughter] >> ah, come on. [laughter] let's rebrand it right here. what would you rather have it be called? >> group. >> group of eight. >> great americans, how about that? [laughter] >> hopeful, prayerful americans. [laughter] >> what did you cover at your

meeting yesterday, and what's the next step? >> well, i was -- >> excuse me, and thai all been in your office? >> we alternate, because we don't want this to be a democratic proposal or a republican proposal, we want it to be bipartisan. theyal tear mate. last night was in john's office. >> do you have snacks? >> no. >> i'm going try to get some kosher food for senator schumer. [laughter] >> from brooklyn. >> maybe some salmon or something like that. [laughter] >> um, we made, john said something, um, monday when we were meeting before we announced our details. i said do you think we could get this done, you know, by march? and he said, absolutely. and i was a little -- it's so difficult when as he's been through and i've been through writing the details of legislation. last night we started tackling some of the biggest issues; the parameters for measuring when the border is secure and how to deal with the 11 million to gain

citizenship given, you know, that there are so many and our colleagues want to make sure that they're not treated any better having crossed the border illegally than people who waited in line. we made huge progress. and our staffs are, you know, we come to an agreement, took about an hour and 15 minutes, and our staffs are drafting -- they're today meeting with the people from, um, dhs, the border people to go over some of the technologies that john mentioned and other things, and can -- and we're meeting, we've set meetings. so we're going to meet on tuesday and thursday at a set time every week til we get this tone with wednesday being the staff meetings to work out what we did on tuesday and thursday to review what the staff comes up with in legislative detail. >> now, just to catch up our audiences here and online, hash tag playbookbreakfast.

you'd said you would have principles by march, a record on capitol hill, right? legislative language by march, and, senator schumer, you said you hope for passage on the floor by late spring which really means july, right? >> well, you don't know. we're right now ahead of scheduled to as you were nice enough to message. there's big enthusiast not only among our group of eight, but i think in the country to get this done on both sides of the aisle. and senator leahy has been great. he says, you know, he'll make time in committee. of both john and i agree, and i think all of us agree, we're going to go through committee. we're going to go through the regular order process. john and i worked on a little group that came out with some rules changes in an effort to strengthen that so we could go back to the -- >> in order to prevent the 51-vote meltdown. >> right. and, um, we very much want to see the regular order restored.

i have had younger senators come to me and ask what is a conference committee really like? how do you legislate in the committees? and it's, you know, i mean, because we don't do it anymore. and it makes being a legislate or to have, um -- legislator, um, less pleasant, and we get less done. senator leahy, in any case, has agreed that we would have all the time we needed. there'll be a big markup in the committee, and the judiciary committee has liberal members, conservative members, and senator reid has said when we're ready to go the floor, we will. so the hope is late spring, early summer. >> now, one of the lessons from '07 was they held together and opposed amendments. will you all stick together to reject amendments in the judiciary and on the floor? >> we haven't talked about that, but i think we have to. >> this is your chance. >> be i think we have to unless there's something that we both agree to.

in other words, if you're going to -- it's going to be fragile as these kinds of things are, and so we will have to take some tough votes in order to keep it intact. but, look, that's so far down road right now, mike, that we haven't even had a chance to discuss it. >> i think one thing we'd agree on is the core principles we come up with must stay intact. that doesn't mean every single amendment john and i have to agree on, we probably won't. >> and, senator schumer, how much time do you expect this will take on the floor? is. >> oh, you know, i think it could take three, four weeks. >> okay. >> you know, this is such an important issue to america, and it's so complicated, and it deals with every aspect that i think we should have a full and robust debate. and by the way, the hope is that we could pass this with a nice, sizable bipartisan majority, because that will set the stage, make it easier for the house to pass it. we don't want of to have just four republicans, you know, five

republicans and we wouldn't get all 55 democrats. >> there won't be. it'll be either a lot of republicans or, you know, either way. it's -- >> and can i say one, john and marco rubio and lindsey have shown such of courage on this and such strength to do what's for the good of the nation, you know? it really -- i have been really impressed with their desire to meet us in the middle. same with bob menendez, dick durbin on the other side. but particularly our republican colleagues. they, you know, they're getting a lot of flak, and, um, they're showing strength. that's another thing that gives me optimism anyway. >> it's a trace of masochism in all three of our families. [laughter] >> senator mccain, how hazardous for, is it for senator marco rubio, a young senator possibly run anything '16, to be taking point on this? >> i think it's important, and i think it's helpful.

be marco rubio represents a very large state with a lot of hispanic and latino voters or. he understands the issue. he is articulate, and i think that it's very helpful to have a newer member of the senate that is of his, frankly, really deep understanding of the issue and appreciation of it. as you know, his family came from cuba, and he understands, i think, the issues confronting people who came to this country either legally or illegally as well as anyone. and i'd like to say a word about chuck. he's really been very strong. we have, he has people on his side of the aisle that just want everybody a citizen now, end of story. and we've had to, he's had to push back against that as well. we've got to maintain the center. there will be people at both ends that will not ever agree, and we have to understand that. we're not seeking a hundred

votes, but we are seeking 80 votes. and i think we can achieve that. >> senator schumer, 80, is that the neighborhood you're hoping for? >> well that, you know, that's the hope, but getting a large minority on each side is very important. >> senator mccain, you said what senator rubio's doing is helpful to the senate. is it helpful to him? >> i think so. i think so. but, you know, the thing i found out -- >> excuse me, and how would that be? >> well, he took a leadership role on a very important issue. you know what i think i've found in my political life is if you do the right thing, it's always ending up okay. if you do something for political reasons, in my experience -- and i've done that -- it's turned out badly. and so i think that marco rubio is doing the right thing. >> with i'd add, and i agree with john completely on all of this, it's sort of he's been daniel in the lion's den. after we came out with our principles, he signed up to go

on all of the talk shows of the very conservative, um, radio and tv hosts. and it was amazing. he started out the rush limbaugh show, and i think rush limbaugh has been more hostile to immigration reform -- >> he talked a little bit yesterday -- >> on the show, rubio. >> yeah. >> daniel in the lion's den. when the show started, limbaugh was far more hostile than at the end, and that's going to be a real service. because -- >> what he's been able to do and what we're trying to do is make the, our talk show friends and people on the right at fox and others that the status quo is unacceptable. the status quo is unacceptable to have 11 million people in the shadows purchase in this country. and -- shadows forever in this country. and we have to keep assuring them. and this is where i appreciate chuck's cooperation and dick durbin and bob menendez.

we have to get a secure border. look, it's a fact. in 1986 we gave amnesty to three million people, said we'd secure the border, it would never happen again. now we have 11 million people here illegally. i don't want to hand down a situation where we have another large group of people who have come to this country illegally, and i think -- and chuck understands that. and that goes a long way in assuaging the concerns of a lot of my friends on the right. >> one more question. >> i would just say one other thing. we, dick and bob and i on sunday before our principles came out got on the phone with the hispanic leadership. i think they understand. we've been -- i can speak just on the liberal side. i have been impressed with the understanding of the groups who so yearn to help their brethren, brothers and sisters -- brethren, i guess s is no longer a politically correct word unless there's a female analogy. i don't know if there is.

brethren and finish. >> sister. >> i can't -- i didn't want want to say that because i'd get criticized. anyway, wety depress. [laughter] that they yearn for them to come out of the shadows, but they have an understanding that just to have a wish list and say here's what we believe in and not be able to compromise will consign the problem to go on. and the desire not just of us, but of the groups out there to understand that compromise is a necessary part of getting something done has impressed me. >> and there's one other dirty little secret here. 72% of the hispanic-american vote went to the president of the united states in the last election. republicans are beginning to appreciate if we're going to have a meaningful dialogue with our hispanic citizens and latino voters, that we are going to have to resolve this issue.

it's just a fact. >> what specifically did governor romney do wrong on this issue? >> you know, um, one of the things that i enjoyed after i lost was the unending and unceasing barrage of criticism and second guessing. [laughter] a lot of it by mike allen. [laughter] so i don't -- no. i think the republican party, not mitt romney, not anybody else, but the republican party has failed to understand to a significant degree the importance of this issue to our hispanic voter. i'm talking about pure politics now. pure politics. and that is we are elected to office because the voters think we will help them achieve their hopes and dreams and aspirations for the future. if you have a large block of americans who believe that you are trying to keep their brethren and sisterhood, whatever --

[laughter] down, their fellow hispanics down and deprive them of an opportunity, obviously, that's going to have an effect on their voters. so the, i think the republicans, and we're not all monolithic, but we have not been more sensitive to these hopes and dreams and aspirations. and it has been reflected in the ballot -- >> okay. last question on politics, and then we're going to plunge into the specifics of the bill. senator mccain, there's republicans in the house and senate who have threatened to derail this bill. senator cruz, freshman senator from texas, came out against it yesterday. how damaging will it be to the republican party if that occurs? >> senator schumer and i are presenting maybe too rosy a picture today. it's going to be a tough, tough fight. but american public opinion has shifted dramatically since 2007. poll after poll shows that the majority of the american people, a significant majority of the american people, believe that there should be a path to

citizenship as long as they pay a fine, back taxes, do all -- >> why is it going to be so tough? >> -- necessary, the things that are necessary in order to achieve citizenship including being behind those who came to this country legally. that caveat is a huge caveat. it changes those numbers rather dramatically. that's why we are focusing on that part of this issue as well. so whoever so posed to it is now looking at public opinion polls that are very different, in my view, than they were in 2007. >> senator mccain, if this goes down, what will be the con egyptians -- consequences for the republican party in. >> i think there will be, i think the trend will continue of lack of support from hispanic voters and also as you look at the dem graphics of -- demographics of states like mine, that means that we will go from republican to democrat over time. but there's a lot of issues that our citizens care about besides

immigration and that are important to them that they'll be making their judgments on. but until we get that issue resolved, we'll not be able to -- >> wait just a second, senator schumer. so you're saying if this goes down, republicans will do even worse with the hispanics? >> yogi berra said never try to predict, especially when you're talking about the future. >> but clearly you think that would be a danger. [laughter] >> i think it's a danger, but, mike, i think the reason why we're doing it is because we see this issue out there unresolved. it's not so much concern about the future, it's concern about now. >> yeah. i was just going to say on our side there's some -- i've heard the argument -- let's keep it out there as an issue. let's leave it as a wedge issue, because it will insure the dominance of the democratic party for a long time. that's wrong, that's just as wrong as the people who say don't do anything. and i think the vast majority of

democrats, the president included, want to get something dope here. >> senator schumer, you referred to this in your remarks in the press conference the other day, and i think there are a lot of people who wonder does the president really want this? why are you convinced that he wants the achievement more than the issue? >> identify talked to him about -- i've talked to him about this issue several times face to face, and he really does. he cares about it, he knows how important it is for the economy be of this country which has been his number one guiding issue, to solve our immigration problem. in a lot of ways, not just in having the 11 million people come out of shadows, pay taxes, become productive citizens, but in terms of future flow. i mean, we all agree it's absurd that we attract the best and the brightest around the world, let them get ph.d.s, mas, bas from our best universities and then say you've got to go home. go home and compete against us. it makes no sense. the president understands that. and let me tell you, he has been

terrific on this. this idea that we were jockeying is not true. dick durbin and i spoke the him sunday night, we told him we had come to an agreement, and we had a great conversation. he's been extremely positive. what he's done, and i think he's playing a very constructive role here, in my opinion, he is importuning us, and he is rallying the country to do reform, getting us all together. but at the same time he's giving us the space to get something done, and identify been very impressed -- aye been very impressed with not only the president's desire to get it done, but his ability to work with us as part of a team to get that done. as leader of the team, which he is. >> every president in the second term worries about their legacy. i think the president's more interested in having this accomplished than he is of harming the republican party. >> senator mccain, have you talked to president obama about this issue? >> i have not. >> what are the state of relations these days?

>> um, i have great respect for the president. i hope and i believe that at some point we will all be meeting with the president on this issue, because we need to coordinate with the administration. but i think i haven't seen a degree of partisanship overall as there is today, but we are showing some signs of bipartisanship. this thing we just did in averting the nuclear option in the senate, this issue, i think that republicans are more inclined to let the process go forward, and senator reid is more, more inclined to let us have amendments. i see, i think that when we are down to 11% approval rating, there was a favorability thing, different things are favorable,

a colonoscopy is viewed more favorably than a member of congress. [laughter] we're in kind of bad shape, to say the least. i won't pursue that line any further -- [laughter] but, you know, i've got this old line, a guy ran up to me in the airport and said, say, anybody ever tell you you look a lot like senator mccain? i said, yeah. he said doesn't it sometimes just make you mad as hell? [laughter] so there is a desire on our part, i think on both sides of the aisle to work more with the president, work more with each other. maybe that's a little pollyannaish, but -- >> no, i agree. i think, you know, american politics works in pendulum swings, and i think the partisanship has reached its peak. towards the end of last year we had -- >> you think not just on this issue, you think in general? >> i think the number one reason i'm so invested in this issue is to get it done. but number two, and john and i have talked about this as we went through the rules changes

and stuff, is to set a new way of doing things a little bit in the senate, in the congress and in washington of coming together on the issues where we can come together. and i think it can happen. i really do. >> last december we did the defense authorization bill. we dispensed with 380 amendments, and we went forward, and we did the right thing. i am guardedly optimistic that we will do -- >> we did ag bill, we did postal reform. towards the end of last year it was little noticed, but there were a good number of important and complicated pieces of legislation. they didn't pass the house, most of them -- defense did -- but got through the senate with good bipartisan support. >> senator mccain, do you buy this pendulum idea, that it reached its nayer the, that it reached its worst point, and it's getting better? >> i do. of i do, and that's -- maybe i'm wrong. maybe that's not the case, but i think as chuck just mentioned, we've of.

of -- we've shown already we can make progress. and i think historians will look back on this aversion of this nuclear option. because if it had happened, and it was going the happen unless we had come up with this road map for the leaders. maybe that sounds a little egotistical, but it's true on the filibuster that if the senate had gone to a 51-vote body, that it would have changed the nature of the united states senate forever. >> now, before we leave the president, senator schumer, you had a little quality time with the president recently. one of the many hats that you wear, you were chairman of the joint inaugural committee. and among your duties as chairman are to concern. >> ride in the limo with the president alone. [laughter] it's a very nice limo. in any case, you know, we had a or very good conversation. in fact, it was not different than the one we had here about what the next four years are

going to be like. and i think, you know, i don't want to give away the president's thoughts, but i expressed the same thing that we've expressed here, that it's going to get better, there's going to be more agreement, and the president, i think, agreed with that. >> whats the car like? >> plush. [laughter] big. >> heavy. >> heavy. and the windows are very thick, but you can see out of them. they can't see in, but you can see out. >> what else did you talk about? >> that was the main thing. the main thing was that. i didn't want to -- my staff gave me a list of 22 things we needed in new york, and i was dying to ask them -- [laughter] >> you only had 11. >> yeah, right. but on the morning of his inauguration, i figured that was not quite appropriate. so a rare moment of restraint. >> senator schumer's very shy. >> yeah. [laughter] it was a rare moment of restraint. >> okay. let's plunge in. on monday you put out the five-page bipartisan, bipartisan

framework. and in the agreement it talks about nonforge bl electronic means of employment verification. now, that is code for a super social security card that would have some sort of biometric thing like a fingerprint in it. senator schumer, you have said you were for this. senator mccain, what is your view of requiring that? >> i'm for this. ..

it just couldn't be forged. we want to stop future -- i want to make a point here. our goal is not to have to come back to this 10 years from now. we want a permanent solution, and that means stopping future waves of illegal immigration. a lot of that is the border and that's why that's important, but other parts of it are something margarita has pushed. the exit entry system. we have a biometrics -- >> 40% of the people here -- >> we have a biometric when you come in the country but not when you leave. we've got to fix that. sentence is having employers. wide illegal immigrants come here? simple, for jobs. if you're making a dollar a week, half of the province in southern mexico and you to make $3 an hour here, lousy conditions, you will come. so you will want to make sure that employers do not hire

people who are here illegally. the only way to do that is to have a non-portugal card. you can go down the street and get a social security card or a driver's license for 100 bucks. him spin it sounds like you have the language. >> it may be. i don't think anyone in our group, some on my side may not be there yet. that there are others. some people say do either of my family. that is too many false negatives and false positives, in my judgment. will have to come up with something but the principle we all agree on. >> someone who hires someone illegally in the country, if they don't know whether they're legal or not that's one thing. we've got to make sure that we have guys who hires someone that is in this country illegally, that they will be punished spent senator mccain. the white house wants to protection in the extended to same-sex couples. would you oppose adding that to the senate plan? >> i think it is a red herring but i think that we want them to

guarantee a tax payer free abortion? i'm telling you now, if you love this up with social issues and things that are controversial, it will endanger the issue. i was interested to do yesterday morning, the first question was that, talking about for principles that we've got to act on. look, i'll be glad to talk about, discuss it, what the ramifications are, but if someone does that as the most important aspect of comprehensive immigration reform, then we just have a fundamental disagreement. >> i'm a sponsor of this bill. i am for. i care about it. we have to discuss it. -- we haven't discussed yet and certainly one of the issues on the table but as john said we've got to first their basic structure and framework before we -- >> which is more important, lgbt or border security? i'll tell you what my priorities are. so again, if you're going to load it up with social issues that is the best way to derail

it, in my view. >> is a question from manu raju. how to respond to critics on the left who read -- endlessly before getting green cards, will you push to get a time limit? >> this is a very important issue. first, that the a lot of bugaboos that the commission can block anybody from -- people immediately can get a work visa. they're out of the shadows, they can work, they can stay in the united states if they don't have a criminal background, you know, criminal charge against, criminal law against them. we know that. but we have been said yes, let's secure the board and make sure some other parameters are met. we are defining this as we speak. before you can get a green card on the -- on the path to citizenship. we have agreed on a few things. every one of the 11th one of the 11 million who meets our criteria, learning english,

working, paying a fine, things like that, will be eligible. we have to figure out how to do that, and, obviously, none of us intend for people to wait and internally long period of time. but there's another principle on the other side, very important, for instance, that helped bring margarita alone. to his credit is been talking about it. he feels by crossing the border illegally you shouldn't gain advantage over somebody who has waited in turn. so if somebody applied in the mexico city u.s. embassy in january of 2007, and someone else crossed the border and is here in january of 2008, we all agree that the person who waited in line in 2007 should be able to get the green card the for the person in 2008. we have to figure out how to do that so it's not a long period of time, where people are old or dead before they become. but at the same time we have to

make sure that this principle is kept, that helps us pass a bill. one of the point. we have made two exceptions to the. dick durbin has worked very hard on the d.r.e.a.m. act. we all agree that should give special priority. >> [inaudible] >> and second, something special for agriculture, because it's a different situation, virtually whether you're in new york dairy country or arizona rancher country, you can get americans to do this kind of work. >> my penultimat penultimate qu, senator mccain, have you talked to speaker boehner about the? >> no, but i did hear his statement a couple days ago or he believed that comprehensive immigration reform is something that needs to be done. mike, real quick. the environment has changed since 2007. that's why we're guardedly optimistic. there's a whole bunch of minds out there that we have to avoid or diffuse, but i'm confident, i'm confident that cautiously

optimistic late we can get this done. if we don't, i think it's going to have ramifications. not just for republicans up for the entire country to have a nation where 11 people living in the shadows is not a country that we like to teac teacher chn about. >> something you share in common, you both came from the house. what is the path to getting this through the house? >> i think probably one of the scenarios is a majority of the democrats in the house and a significant, and maybe a majority for the republicans in the house. i would not anticipate a unanimous republican support, but i think it can be significant republican support. >> the larger number of republicans we get innocent, the more likely it's my judgment that we'll pass it in the house. second, going to the process, going through committee and will help us homeless.

the senate is in very diverse body. we're going to get some amendments from very conservative members and the very liberal members, and it will help refine and educate house members about what this bill is all about anyways made just to go in talking to them for an hour could and. and so i think that those things are important. >> would a number of republicans going to the regular order. >> first, trying to them what did i miss? should there be something buttoned-down is that i've not asked? >> how do you think this place for some of your folks who are up in moderate red states, democrats from arkansas, montana, those two, voted against this plan in '07. >> i'm not going to speak for any individual senator. we're going to get the album majority of democrats in the senate to vote for this bill but we won't get all. we don't expect to get all of them. so we're going to be a good

number of republicans to vote the bill to get to 60. >> i notice all these young people have a copy of politico that's required reading for them. it was announced there would be a written quiz afterwards on today's edition. [laughter] >> senators, senator mccain can you mentioned senator kenny in your remarks the other day. and senator schumer, it was written the other day your become the democrat dealmaker. he says will make take -- with the influence of the democratic college, and an ability to reach across the aisle so it's worth asking them is chuck schumer the closest thing to that right now? i wonder if you could tell me what, if we learn from senator kennedy or what part do you think you will play as this unfolds in the next couple of my? >> i think that senator schumer is assumed that will. i think it takes years, and i'm sure that chuck would agree with that. but he is certainly off to a very healthy start. the one thing i have noticed

about dealing with senator schumer is he is very shy and retiring, it's hard to get out, his real views out. the fact is that -- >> in brooklyn i am known as shy. they are much more aggressive than i am. >> the traits were senator schumer and senator kennedy shared is one, you know exactly where they stand, number one. and number two, they will never change. they will never go back on their word. those are the keys to success in the united states senate. >> senator kennedy and john was a child. he was in -- he was my mentor. i admired him. i miss him. i'm a long way. >> before i forget there's a house group, all you can stay in touch with them? are you guys staying on the same page? >> we are going to. we really -- we have just come out with guidelines so we need to take something to a house counterparts that we could agree on that.

we want to work with them. we absolutely do, despite their traditional senate snafu. >> i would just say this. we haven't talked to this group, but the one group i've stayed in touch with with senators durbin and menendez is the congressional hispanic caucus, and they have been very supportive of what we've been doing, even if each specific is not something they support. >> the hard part of your will come your kind of the bridge between the senate deal and the white house and what the west wants which is a little more. how do you pull them back to where you are? >> first, the desire to get a bill, we have been through this so many times a couple of times as john mentioned, 1986, the failure, a bill that passed that didn't do the job, and more recently attempts that never got anywhere. >> and just think of yourself as a hispanic leader, and you of all these people who you know

and deal with and talk with who are in the shadows, who are desperate to live a life in the americans the way the of the 300 million americans are. they are willing to make some compromises to get a bill. this is chuck schumer but it's menendez and almost all the democrats and the president. bottom line is a path to citizenship for the 11 million. so no -- they know what they have so far, and i believe it will continue, giving us the kind of flexibility we need to get a bill done because not everybody agrees with me, agrees with john, or agrees with the head of one or group or another. >> i am getting the gear as we say goodbye to sunday's super bowl. senator mccain, you have a lot of sports packages. tell us about your -- spinning i'm a big sports fan. most mediocre high school

athletes are the most avid fans, and that's -- [laughter] and that's what i was. but, you know, i kind of -- nobodnobody thought the ravens d get to where they are, some kind of rooting for the ravens. >> so are you predicting -- let's get predictions speed up close, couple points. student but you're going ravens? >> yes. >> senator schumer, you've been to the super bowl. what is it like? >> i went -- latch you. i am a giants fan. i live and breathe new york giants. it was one of the great experiences of my life. i wasn't going to go, and you know, it's expensive and everything else, and my wife said, you love the giants. i said yes. she said you may be dead before they win the next super bowl. [laughter] >> and she was right.

>> that was good logic. she's right about issue. so i went, and i loved it. it was the first and only time i have been there. one of the things i'm looking forward to there is to see beyoncé. i think she did a great job at the inauguration. [laughter] i think she -- i look forward to hearing her in new orleans. she won me over early on. in my career. and the story in the "new york post," you know, was just made up. >> there was a story that said that beyoncé hadn't apologized to senator schumer, just to go behind the curtain, you and we admitted that. >> it was silly. i was on the way out and someone comes over to me and this has beyoncé apologize? and i said no. >> where was this? >> i was doing an event, a press event about sandy. it was sunday mornin